168 BIRD WATCHING 



sometimes cosset the feathers of his throat or neck 

 with the tip of her hooked bill, a courtesy which you 

 see him acknowledge by sundry little pleased movings 

 of his head to one side and to another. It must, 

 however, be understood that when I say it is the 

 male bird who thus pays his court to the female, I 

 am only inferring that this is the case. There was 

 nothing beyond likelihood and analogy to guide me 

 in what I saw, and from some subsequent observa- 

 tions I have reason to think that these antics are 

 common to both sexes. As a rule, however, one 

 may safely assume that the bird which in such 

 matters both takes the initiative and does so in a 

 very decided manner, is the male." 



I will add that the waddling step with which the 

 male bird (as I believe) approaches the female may 

 become quickened and exaggerated into a sort of 

 shuffling dance. But I only use the word "dance," 

 because I can think of no slighter, yet sufficient, one. 

 It is not, I should imagine, intentional, but only the 

 result of nervous excitement. 



These seem to be odd antics, but it is in the 

 nature of antics to be odd, and when such a bird 

 as a cormorant indulges in them one may expect 

 something more than ordinarily peculiar. The hop, 

 however, which is very pronounced, is not confined 

 to such occasions, but is made to alternate with the 

 customary waddle when the bird is moving about on 

 the rocks, and especially when getting up on to any 

 low ledge or projection. I do not know of any other 

 British bird which adopts this recumbent position in 

 courtship, but this is just what the male ostrich does, 

 ag I have over ^nd over again seen. He first pursues 



